So Long Whitmore Gardens

It's now our last night at 56 Whitmore Gardens. Hard to believe it's all over. A few months ago when I was hating being here, I thought this day would never come! Now it's kinda sad... but only kinda.

Poor V & N are having a really hard time. I think it's with the concept of a change much more than they love London that much more because I know they don't. V says there's no mattress as good and she'll miss the bed! N was having a fit about her pants and suddenly cried out, "I just want to stay but I do want Chik Fil A." (One of the things we miss about the USA) It's interesting how they express their feelings and what form their closure takes. Once we leave this house and move forward with getting back they'll be fine. It is hard to say goodbye and embrace changes.

We've had an amazing 4 months here and I'm so happy Jason had this hair-brained idea. Thought he was nuts when he threw this one by me, and it was nuts, IS nuts. We've been living in LONDON with 3 kids! I think we honestly saw everything and did everything we wanted to do. Overall it's been a great trip and fascinating experience.

The bags are packed and we think under the 50lb weight limit, our scale is so crappy. The house has been scrubbed top to bottom...Jason is a machine. Check out is tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon we should be relaxing at the hotel...anticipating our busy Sat. Wow.

Things I'll Miss About Living In London (in no particular order of importance)

• Jason having the flexibility to be home so much and spend lots of time with us.
• Spring flowers
• The 'yellow corner store'. Wonderful fresh baked bread, milk, bread, wine and other essentials are only a 2 min walk away.
• Watching V navigate the Underground map system, the girl has serious skills and one heck of a memory.
• The awesome folding glass doors.
• 
• Come Dine With Me- reality dinner party show with witty smart ass narrator
  
• Wagamama- stir fry restaurant (Mary bought the cookbook :) we can make it at home!!)
  
• warm toffee waffles on the street
• a million photo ops
• having my mom here to help and for my girls to have her in their lives everyday.
• Kensington Park
• Ruby Gloom & Braceface- my fav kid shows
  
• singing birds in our backyard (except at 4am)
• watching L's excitement from observing the birds that come to our backyard
• N collecting snails, rocks, and flowers from the garden
• Jason doing most the cooking
• opportunity to see some of Europe so easily
• little credit card machines- size of a labeling machine they bring to the table, very quick
• global awareness in the news and life
• watching N gallop around the house and city on her imaginary horse when she gets bored
• hearing "lovely", "darling", "bloody"and all the other British phrases
  

Things I Won't Miss

• relying solely on public transportation
• homeschooling
• the pine floor from hell that takes indentations from the slightest pressure...a spoon falling on the ground
• the lack of a child-friendly city
  
• schlepping the stroller up the Underground stairs (I do have to thank the MANY good Samaritans who have simply grabbed the front and helped)
• the evil step in the middle of the kitchen/living area that we have all tripped over at least once, poor L...a few more times than once
• renting
  
• the burlap carpet that really hurts (how Jason got puke out of it is still a mystery)
• the clothing washer/drying/no-still-not-dry-yet machine that has a max capacity of only 6 shirts
• limited wardrobe, so tired of these clothes
  
• double water faucets...absolutely insane...choice 1= scalding hot....choice 2= ice cold. (Their solution is to put in the stopper, mix the two and use the water in the bowl....EWWWWW.)
• 
• their bad tv commercials... can't explain...just bad
• having to share my laptop...with the kids...guess that won't change will it?
• dust...didn't appreciate how much dust a central ac unit collects and therefore prevents
• the bathroom being on the 2nd floor complete with the toilet that only flushes 75% of the water and content away...i know...gross
• the lack of locks on bedroom doors
• the door stoppers
  

Natalieisms-

• There was a 21 gun salute for the Queen's birthday and Natalie saw the photo in the paper and asked, "What were they shooting..foxes....wolfes...what?"
• A bird was singing outside and N says, "Maybe he's practicing for a show."

Jason and I went to see Wicked, had a wonderful time.

L getting a ride in the suitcase.
Nat taking her own photo.

We had a few things we didn't want to bring home so we put them outside with a "Free, take me" sign. The girls were so excited when someone took something! N finally sat out there with the stuff, waiting for 'customers'.
Fly Home Countdown: 2 days!!!!!!!!

Homeward Bound & Rome

Our countdown to home is in full swing! Jason has his LAST law school exam tomorrow, Tues. We're packing up on Wed, cleaning the house on Thurs, having our 'inventory check out' & heading to a hotel close to the airport on Fri afternoon.

Saturday (or as I'm calling it, The All Day Flying Extravaganza!) we take off from Heathrow Int'l at 10am and fly many many MANY hours to NYC landing at 1pm EST. We have a lovely 3 hr layover and take off at 4:30 to land in Orlando at 7:30pm which our bodies will feel as 12:30am. By the time we get settled in our temp Lake Mary condo, it should be close to 2am London time! We'll see how we do with reverse jet lag! Send good vibes for L to be good on the planes:)


A few weeks ago, (OMG that was just a few weeks ago!) my mom and I headed to Rome. We had a whirlwind trip and saw all the sites. Our first day there we had lunch next to the Colosseum, coffee outside the Pantheon, and dessert by the Trevi Fountain...what a perfect day.

Our room...

Street from our room.
Easter candy


Gotta love audio guides...gosh have I heard a bunch of these the past 4 months.

They were building this stone wall. The poor guy was busting the stones and then searching for the right one to fit, not an easy job.
I know.... it's humongous,...and it was delish!
The Roman Forum

This is the square in front of the Pantheon.

Coffee time
The Trevi Fountain, they say if you throw a coin in, it guarantees your return to Rome. Worked for me once, why not again!
Our gelatto :)

There are SO MANY ruins around the city...even in the subway tunnels! The rectangular frame on the right is actually there so you can see part of an old Roman wall. I'm assuming they found it while building the subway.

Close up of the wall...I know more old blocks of marble.
Saturday we visited the Vatican Museum. Gotta tell you, the statues there were very into cosmetic surgery.


Nose Job...

Breast Implant....
Still waiting for a total reconstruction ....
We visited St. Peter's Basilica


Fancy water fountain...
Here's proof it exists! Jason and I discovered this glorious ice cream bar on our trip to Italy in 2000. We've always kept an eye out for it. 9 years later, I've found it... in Italy again. Think they'll ship to FL?

This was a sign in a shop advertising wine. Thought it was funny it was written on the back of a piece of ceramic tile. Marble and tile are more prevalent and cheaper than cardboard!
This movie has followed me through out Europe!! It's been advertised in London, Paris, Amsterdam and now Rome. It's been interesting to see 'Marley and Me' translated into the different languages.

Fly Home Countdown: 5 days

My Awesome Kids

I am allowed to be totally biased, but I think my kids are just awesome. Lately I've been in a "wow-I-just-want-to-sit-and-be-with-these-amazing-people" mood which is infinitely better than the "what-could-they-possibly-want-&-need-&-why-are-they-bugging-me" mood that some times persists. Here are some of my favorite recent shots and videos of the Click Clack Mafia.

Touching up their lipstick on the Underground.
Enjoying the spring day
Such loving sisters, most of the time!
Little L loves to be outside.
I had forgotten just how much kids love the carousel. Big Ben is in the background.


Pop stars with their cousin Will. (N has the Skype headset on!)
What kid doesn't love the ball pit?!
They played on this zip line thing for about 30 minutes.
This is in the middle of the UK version of WalMart. What a pose.
I'm embarrassed to say the manager saw this and pretty much shook his head in disgust and asked us to please stop.

Homeschooling in the sun.
L loving on a babydoll.

What is this stuff?
Dirt you say?

Yes...I tried to eat it.

Kidisms-

• V tells me she's wondering what Jason's graduation will be like since she's never been to one. Before I can explain it to her, N pipes up with, "Valla, don't worry... it's gonna be just like the High School Musical graduation...except no singing."
• V was trolling an Endangered Animal website, as she often does, and noticed the Snow Leopard was on the list. "How can it still be endangered?? My class sent in money and adopted it last year?!"
• I was cooking using fish oil which stinks to high heaven and N asked, "Can you please turn that smell down?"
• The girls were playing with glitter and glue and N comments, "That glue is wicked.... I mean wackeded....I mean liquid!"
• V & Mary were trying to figure some thing out and were having trouble. Mary says, "What the hell?" V says,"That's what I said!"
• I asked N what's the best thing about being 4. She said, "Being a great colorer and always being with Mommy and Daddy."
• V had heard us talking about the Somalian pirates and said she bet she knows why they are doing bad things, "I bet they are drunk, cause pirates get drunk a lot." A little too much Pirates of the Caribbean influence maybe?!
• We were planting some pansies and as she's digging V is getting uncomfortable touching the dirt and comments, "This garden is filthy!"
  

V sharing with her cousin... on the Underground.

N, being a jokester, absolutely loved April Fool's Day, or Happy Fool's Day as she called it. We heard this a million times on 4/1...

L is at the stage where she is imitating and mimicking everything! Here she is "writing."

She also helps with the laundry...

L took her first steps the other day! She's 10 months, V & N took theirs at 13. But she crawled at 6 and wants to be up and chasing them so bad I'm not surprised.

Fly Home Countdown: 12 days